WINTHROP, Mass. – Three-time reigning Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) Champion Johnson & Wales will try to make it four straight in 2023 as it comes into the new year as the unanimous pick to win the conference crown.
The Wildcats earned 256 points, including all 16 first place votes, in this year's preseason poll which was conducted by the league's 16 women's soccer head coaches last week.
The 2022 iteration of the JWU squad posted a perfect 13-0 GNAC (18-2-1 overall) record and earned the No. 1 seed in the GNAC Championship Tournament. The Wildcats advanced through the tournament, defeating No. 8 seed University of Saint Joseph (Conn.), 5-2, No. 4 seed Saint Joseph's (Maine), 1-0, and No. 2 seed Lasell, 2-1. In the NCAA Tournament, the GNAC Champions fell to RIT in the First Round, 3-1.
Last year's GNAC Tournament runner-up, Lasell, earned the second spot in this year's voting with 228 points. The Lasers are hoping to return to glory having finished as the conference runner-up in three of the past four seasons.
Saint Joseph's (Maine) (214 points), Emmanuel (205), and Regis (195) rounded out the top five of the poll. They were followed by the University of Saint Joseph (Conn.) (173), Albertus Magnus (149), and Colby-Sawyer (135) to complete the top half of the ledger.
The Monks, led by 11th-year Head Coach Jenelle Harris, open the 2023 season on Friday, September 1st when they host the University of New England in a non-conference contest starting at 6:00 PM. St. Joe's returns six starters from a 2022 side that went 10-9-1 overall, including senior Aaliyah WilsonFalcone (Winthrop, Maine), who netted a team-high 12 goals and garnered All-Region honors last fall, and senior defenders Claudia Janelle (Biddeford, Maine), Randi Robinson (Hollis, Maine), and Darcy Wright (Salem, N.H.) are all back to help the Royal Blue make a deep run in the GNAC tourney.
Elms (121), Simmons (93), and Rivier (86) filled in the nine through 11 slots in that order followed by newcomer to the league, New England College (83).
Anna Maria (71), Norwich (63), new addition Mitchell (54), and Dean (50) completed this year's ranking.
Action begins in the 2023 GNAC Women's Soccer season on Friday, Sept. 1 with teams in non-conference action. League play gets underway on Tuesday, Sept. 5 with Albertus visiting USJ. Wednesday, Sept. 6 is the first full conference play date. Teams will complete a 15-game single round robin conference season with the top-10 teams at the end of the regular season earning berths into the 2023 GNAC Women's Soccer Championship Tournament.
The postseason starts with a Play-In Round featuring the bottom four tournament seeds on Thursday, Oct. 26. The winners of those games will advance to the GNAC Quarterfinals on Saturday, Oct. 28 with the winners moving on to the semifinals on Wednesday, Nov. 1. The tournament will conclude with the GNAC Championship match on Saturday, Nov. 4 with winner claiming the title of GNAC Champion and earning the league's automatic qualifier into the 2023 NCAA Division III Women's Soccer Championship.
2023 GNAC Women's Soccer Preseason Poll
| 1. | Johnson & Wales | 256 (16 1st Place Votes) |
| 2. | Lasell | 228 |
| 3. | Saint Joseph's (Maine) | 214 |
| 4. | Emmanuel | 205 |
| 5. | Regis | 195 |
| 6. | Univ. of Saint Joseph (Conn.) | 173 |
| 7. | Albertus Magnus | 149 |
| 8. | Colby-Sawyer | 135 |
| 9. | Elms | 121 |
| 10. | Simmons | 93 |
| 11. | Rivier | 86 |
| 12. | New England College | 83 |
| 13. | Anna Maria | 71 |
| 14. | Norwich | 63 |
| 15. | Mitchell | 54 |
| 16. | Dean | 50 |
ABOUT THE GREAT NORTHEAST ATHLETIC CONFERENCE
The Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) is an NCAA Division III association made up of 16 member institutions and over 4000 student-athletes across the New England region. Founded in 1995, the GNAC annually sponsors and administers 22 championships, while balancing academic integrity, athletic opportunity and community involvement in an effort to enhance the student-athlete experience.
THANKS IN LARGE PART TO THE GNAC SPORTS INFORMATION OFFICE
